Broome Hargrave Military Academy held a rare Change of Command ceremony on June 24, 2011 for the office of the Academy’s president.

The ceremony honored outgoing Hargrave president Dr. Wheeler Baker, Col. USMC (Ret.) and welcome incoming Hargrave president Brig. Gen. Doyle “Don” Broome, Jr. USA (Ret.). The service took place at 3 p.m. in the Academy’s Owen R. Cheatham Chapel, and was open to the public.

“I was honored to be selected as Hargrave’s ninth president and retire with mixed emotions,” Dr. Baker said. “Hargrave Military Academy is a special place and clearly under God’s guiding hand.”

Dr. Baker served Hargrave for close to 15 years. After stabilizing the Academy financially, he tackled several differed maintenance issues while simultaneously improving the academic curricula. New classroom space was built, technology was introduced into the classroom and improvements were made to the quality of Cadet life across the board. Most importantly, he has been a true leader and caretaker of Hargrave Military Academy in both good and turbulent times, leaving the school far stronger and in a far better position to take advantage of future opportunities.

Baker leaves Hargrave in an excellent position for his successor.

Brig. Gen. Don Broome, son of Doyle and Marcelle Broome of Cedartown, was named the tenth president of Hargrave on January 15, 2011. Broome is a 1975 Distinguished Military Student graduate of Georgia Military College. He received a commission as an Army 2nd Lieutenant. In 1984 he earned Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Troy University, graduating Cum Laude. He earned a Master of Science degree while attending the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Early in his career he served in an Infantry Battalion and with the Army’s Special Forces.

In 1980 Broome attended flight school and later commanded the 4th Squadron of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He was promoted to Brigadier General and served as Assistant Division Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. In Operation Iraqi Freedom he was the Deputy Commanding General of a Multi-national Task Force. He then completed 32 years of service as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command overseeing the Army’s ROTC units.

Broome then became a consultant with a Fortune 500 company providing strategic planning and program management support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Broome and his wife, Donna, have moved from Huntsville, Alabama to the Hargrave President’s house in Chatham. They have three children: Trey, a Doctor of Pharmacy; David an Army captain; and Danielle, a senior at the University of Alabama.

Hargrave Military Academy is an all boy military school focused on college preparation. Founded in 1909, it is often noted for ongoing academic achievement in college placement.